The Sports Economy Is Riding On New Societal Expectations

 

Sports practice has continued to progress in recent years in France. According to the Sport and Health barometer, 61% of French people declared that they had regular physical activity in 2017, i.e. seven points more than in 2012. This acceleration is partly explained by a change in the profile of practitioners (more women and seniors) and by the emergence of new practices. In fact, in recent years, the individualization of the practice has been accompanied by the affirmation of new motivations linked to health, relaxation and conviviality. These evolutions explain the rise in importance of sport "on demand" (served by a private market offer), but also of independent practice (outside any supervision structure) which now constitutes the most popular form of physical exercise. frequent.

But it is through the associative offer that sporting practice is historically organized. These sports associations must now adapt to the gradual but structural decomposition of the profile of practitioners. Dependent on access to public infrastructure that must be shared, they are all the more struggling to gain flexibility, unlike private players, which are growing strongly, particularly in large metropolitan areas and in tourist areas. Their ability to take these changes into account is however decisive since associations play an essential role in sports education and in the preservation of the values associated with it. 

The Economics of Sport: A Sector in Its Own Right

The sports sector, which brings together two types of players, associations numbering around 360,000 and companies numbering 112,000, is a highly integrated sector, serving demand.

With regard to the main sectors of activity of the sector: 

•          the first two groups bring together the actors responsible for ensuring access to sport: the structures for supervising practice (sports halls, associations, coaching, etc.); and the players in charge of the spectacular dimension of sport (major international sporting events, professional sport, etc.).

•          Upstream of the practice, there are two universes. The first relates mainly to the commercial sector: it is the manufacture and distribution of sporting goods. The second brings together the supporters of a supervised practice requiring specific infrastructures: this includes the production of sports facilities and their management, both private and public.

•          Downstream, a market intended to meet needs exists: the needs of other players in a Bob relationship (advice, communication) and consumer needs in a Botch relationship (specialized media).

 However,

Innovation and Economics of Sport: A Winning Duo

Ultimately, it is above all the activities of specialized services and those dependent on proximity to consumers that are located in densely populated areas. The industrial activities of manufacture, rental or sports tourism respond to other logics of establishment, often historical and geographical in relation to the physical assets of the territories. They are more concentrated around specialized poles, sometimes operating in clusters, either with the aim of consolidating existing sectors, or to develop synergies with other sectors. Indeed, in the field of sport, there are many clusters and incubators. There are nearly thirty of them, half of which are oriented towards innovation (Spartech, health) and the other towards more traditional sectors in which France has real expertise (horse riding, water sports, etc.). More than the number of clusters, it is their growth in recent years that is remarkable: since 2015, seventeen new clusters and incubators have emerged, including four in 2019. This increase reflects awareness of the potential of the sports economy tuition.

Sports Associations, Vectors of Social Links

The non-profit model of associations makes it possible to maintain an offer in regions of low density: the distribution of the associative offer is in this a strong indicator of the social role of sport.

They are based on the high density of sports facilities in rural areas and thus contribute to the quality of life and social cohesion that local communities want to preserve there by investing in sports. Territories with little demographic dynamism concentrate more small associations operating solely through volunteering. In urban areas, on the other hand, the population has shifted more quickly towards a more individual and autonomous vision of the practice based on a private service offer.

Strong Territorial Disparities in Access to Practice

There are five different profiles of metropolitan departments depending on the available offer. 

•          The Alpine departments, " Champions” of access to practice, combine abundant private and associative offers due to significant geographical advantages and good economic situation and demographic dynamics.

•          In the departments of regional metropolises, the " Autonomies” are mainly served by a private offer offering them the flexibility they seek.

•          Certain territories, the " Associative”, rely on an associative offer and a strong involvement of local authorities to maintain local practice.

•          The " Discoverers” benefit from geographical characteristics conducive to the development of sports tourism, served by a private offer, while a dense network of associations accompanies the practice.

•          Finally, in 19 departments - the " Distances” -, the practice is in clear decline: they present at the same time a lower density of public sports facilities and associations and, rather fragile economically, attract little the private offer.